Some people get kind of scared when they see or hear the words “The end is near.” But this phrase can actually be good news, especially if you’re working on a book report or listening to a really boring sermon.

Sometimes people carry signs that read “The End Is Near!” Typically these people are pointing out that earth’s history is about to close. Is that good news or bad news to you? How you answer that question probably depends on whether or not you believe that the words on the sign are true. I mean, think of all the past predictions that never actually happened.

“Amber, you know I will love you forever,” high school sophomore Jason Smoothtalker affirmed on September 17. On September 18, however, the new student, Heather Heartthrob, arrived, and the word “forever” took on new meaning.

“Heather, you know I will love you forever,” Jason stated on September 19.

Then there are all those predictions made in high school yearbooks:

Prediction: Most Likely to Succeed—Ralph Dinero

Today: Serving 20 years in Alcatrap prison for printing counterfeit $21 bills.

Prediction: Most Likely to Become a Movie Star—Celéste Eleganté

Today: Owner-operator, Celéste Eleganté Garbage Pick-up Service

But now, back to “the end is near.” The Bible says that toward the end of earth’s history some people would be poking fun at believers for saying Jesus would return to earth: “We’ve heard about His coming for years. Even the old people talked about it when they were alive. But He still hasn’t come” (2 Peter 3:3,4).*

But the Bible also makes it clear that God’s time is different from ours, that “a thousand years for us is like a day to Him” (verse 8). If God has put off the second coming, it’s for a very good reason: “He has let things go on because He’s so patient. He loves everyone and wants them to turn from their sins and be saved” (verse 9).

I predict that Jesus will indeed come back, arriving at the perfect time. You can, of course, help speed things up a little bit by letting His love shine through you. That way your friends and others might just decide to follow Him too.

In the meantime here are a couple of ways to guarantee that your predictions will always come true.

1. Limit your predictions to the next 60 seconds. Example: If you see your 3-year-old brother shaving his head with your dad’s electric razor, you might call out, “I predict that Tyson will lose his hair within the next minute.” Your parents will be astonished at your uncanny ability to know the future. They will also notice that Tyson closely resembles a naked mole rat, but that is not your problem.

2. Predict things that you know have already happened (but most others don’t). Example: “Mom, I predict that soon I will narrowly escape with my life as a result of a horrible bicycle accident.” The following morning, when Mom saunters out to the driveway to go to work, she will see the pitiful remains of the bike that you so badly mangled while trying to impress Celinda Bystander with your stand-upright-on-the-seat-with-arms-fully-extended riding style. Trust me, Mom will be speechless.

Be prepared: these tips may gain you a reputation as someone possessing unusual abilities, none of which have anything to do with telling the future. Better leave that up to God.

*Bible texts in this article are from The Clear Word for Kids, copyright © 2005 by Review and Herald Publishing Association. All rights reserved.